Advanced Authentication with MERN Stack

This project is an advanced authentication system built using the MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) stack. It includes features like email verification, secure password hashing, and token-based authentication.

Project Structure

The project is organized as follows:

• Root: Contains the main package.json file and links to both the backend and frontend folders.
• backend: Contains the server-side code, including API endpoints, database models, and authentication logic.
• frontend: Contains the client-side code, built with React, for user interaction and UI.

Features

• User registration and login
• Email verification using Mailtrap
• Secure password hashing with bcrypt
• Token-based authentication with JSON Web Tokens (JWT)
• Protected routes for authenticated users
• Responsive and user-friendly UI

Technologies Used

• Frontend: React, Axios, Bootstrap/Material-UI (optional)
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, Mongoose
• Authentication: JWT, bcrypt
• Email Service: Mailtrap

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm installed
• MongoDB installed and running
• Mailtrap account for email testing

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/arafatDU/mern-advanced-auth.git
   cd mern-advanced-auth

2. Install dependencies for the root project:

   npm install

3. Install dependencies for both backend and frontend:

   cd backend
   npm install
   cd ../frontend
   npm install

4. Configure environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the backend folder with the following:

     MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
     JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
     MAILTRAP_USER=your_mailtrap_username
     MAILTRAP_PASS=your_mailtrap_password

5. Start the development server:

   npm run dev

   This will start the backend server located at backend/index.js.

Usage

1. Register a new user.
2. Check your Mailtrap inbox for the verification email.
3. Verify your email to activate your account.
4. Log in to access protected routes.

Folder Structure

mern-advanced-auth/
├── backend/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── db/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── index.js
│   └── ...
├── frontend/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   ├── pages/
│   │   ├── utils/
│   │   └── App.js
├── package.json
└── README.md

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Mailtrap for email testing
• MERN Stack Documentation

Feel free to contribute to this project by submitting issues or pull requests!